A couple of hours in Lincoln

looking down Steep Hill

A cold foggy morning. The sun burned away the fog, in the sun pleasant, cold in the shade.

Stokes at the Collection, surprisingly busy. Although I have not looked in lunchtime before, midday at the very latest. Lunch looked good. Not good the awful loud music. It used to have a pleasant ambience, somewhere quiet to relax, sadly not with this awful music playing.

Up The Strait, up Steep Hill, to the Castle Square., though actually called Castle Hill.

I have never seen so many people. Not seen so many Chinese since Athens.

Pimento Tea Rooms used to have a strange arrangement, walk through a fashion shop. Both the fashion shop and the up-market shoe shop have now gone. The fashion shop now part of the tea rooms, the shoe shop selling what looked like tourist tat.

Graduation day for University of Lincoln. They appeared to have taken over everywhere.

Walking down, chatted to a stunning Black girl, studying international relations. I said check out Canon Andrew White, and invite to give a talk a must.

Very sorry to see Oliver’s Restaurant closed. It was a excellent place to eat. But last few years struggling, few customers. Not helped by the owner turning up on a whim.

Looked in Henry’s, inside Ruddock’s, on the first floor. Pleasant tea rooms.

On the way back down, chatted to the girl on the pen counter. I was pleasantly surprised to find they stock Montegrappa pens, make Montblanc pens look like Bic. I suggested she checked out The Alchemist pen.

Back down in the town, already very cold and misty by The Stonebow. And yet walking alongside Brayford Pool, sunny.

Brayford Pool tacky. Costa and other tacky chains. Once it was old warehouses. These could have been restored and created a pleasant environment. But as always, greed and corruption rears its ugly head.

Dealers in Montegrappa pens are not aware of its existence, that is how exclusive.

Dealers are located in strange paces.

Ruddock’s. Once an indie bookshop now, art materials, pens and a indie teashop. They are also printers and publishers. Last year a very expensive illustrated book on Magna Carta (Lincoln holding one of the four remaining copies).

“Notable amongst the friends of Montegrappa are the great racing driver Jean Alesi and actor, writer and director Sylvester Stallone. So deep is their affection for the brand that both are now shareholders and board members.”